Therianthrope
by JennaGreenleaf
Summary: Thousands of years ago, a boy was rescued by three animals. The descendants of that boy are the Therianthrope, both man and beast. Diego and Princess Shira have at last returned to Court, and Manny couldn't be less impressed. Shira is a hothead with a streak of wildness, and Diego is sarcastic and prideful. Circumstances force them together to confront an enemy long thought dead...
1. Prologue: The Herd

Prologue—The Herd

There were very few people that Manfred Dorn couldn't read like an open book. For instance, he knew his best friend, Sidney Klein, was a lot more intelligent than people gave him credit for. He just had an innocent outlook on life, an innocence that sometimes bordered on naivety. Manny knew how much his girlfriend, Ellinor Sparks, wanted to meet her birth parents, even after they had abandoned her as a toddler. And he knew Ellie's adoptive brothers, the twins Carson and Edward, only acted stupid to keep everyone smiling.

He could read them as easily as he could read the humans, because he knew them so well. He'd known Sid since he was very young, and he had assumed a protective role over the slightly younger boy, like an older brother. Manny's own younger brother, Finnley, had died in an attack that had also taken Manny's parents. Manny had been taken in by the Kleins when he was fourteen, and therefore, Sid and his three sisters—Lizelle, Brynn, and Tallisa—had become Manny's siblings.

Ellie and her brothers they had met later, at the beginning of high school. The caramel-haired girl had immediately intrigued him, as he couldn't read her at all. That was how he had known her, and her brothers, were part of their world. Falling in love with a girl like Ellie had been a hard task, mostly because Ellie hadn't known what she was. Manny had tried to help her as gently as he could, but subtly had never been his strong suit. In the end, it had worked out, and Manny now knew who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

No, there weren't many Manfred Dorn couldn't read like an open book. That, however, was before he had met Diego Kestrel.

From a very young age, Manfred Dorn had known he was a Therianthrope. It was obvious, really, if you knew what you were looking for. His hair was the colour of rich, dark chocolate, and his liquid brown eyes burned with the light of the sun when he was angry. He had always been tall for his age, and strong.

When his parents had come into his room once when he was about six years old, they had been unsurprised to discover that an animal had replaced their son. After all, they were Therianthropes, as well. What was surprising, however, was the type of animal that had replaced their son. Manny was a woolly mammoth. In the thousands of years of the history of their kind, none of them had ever shifted into an animal that was not their family's animal, and none of them had ever shifted into an animal that was extinct.

Aleighsha Dorn recalled a story as her son slumbered on, of an ancestor of theirs whose name had long been forgotten. The story told of how he had been kidnapped as a baby and then returned to his father by an unusual pair of animals, a Woolly Mammoth and a Giant Ground Sloth. It seemed her son was part of something, something larger than her or her husband, something larger than their entire world. Sighing slightly as she stood, Aleighsha Dorn had followed her husband out of her son's room. There would be so much to teach him, and so little time to do it in. They could no longer afford to put off his training. Aleighsha rested a small hand on her swollen belly, rubbing small circles. Her husband, Hector, would start his training in the morning. She, on the other hand, would be waiting for their second son.

_Finnley._ That would be his name, after her father.


	2. Call Me Diego

Chapter 1—Call Me Diego

As the doors of Briar Ridge Boarding School closed behind him for the last time, Manny Dorn was eager to get away. Curtailing his excitement, he walked swiftly beside his best friend, Sid Klein, towards the oldest of Sid's three sisters, Lizelle. Close after them was Sid's youngest sister, Tally.

"Manny!" a voice cried out, a voice that Manny knew well. He turned towards the sound, and caught his girlfriend, Ellie Sparks, in his arms. Playfully, he kissed the end of her nose. While he may have taught Ellie that she, too, was a Therianthrope, she had finished the work Sid had started in teaching him to love again after his parents and his brother had died.

"Ellie, Manny, if you're coming, get in! Ellie, where are your brothers?" Lizee called towards the pair.

"We're coming, Lizee!" Carson, called Crash because of his fondness for running into things (so much so that his nose was permanently squashed—it was the only way Manny could tell the difference between him and his brother, even though they really were fraternal twins), yelled after them. His twin brother, Eddie, followed close behind him. They piled into the third row of the green van that Lizee was driving, nearly flattening Manny and Ellie in their rush to take seats next to Tally.

Manny knew that Lizee hated driving the van, but it was the only vehicle they had that could carry all of them. Of course, Crash and Eddie could just Shift and then they would all fit nicely, but that would be awkward if they ever got pulled over and the Human police found two opossums in their car. So the van was the only logical choice.

"So what has Mum in such an uproar?" Sid asked his sister. He had taken the front seat beside her. Their Mother was known for her dramatic flair, something that the middle sister, Brynn, had inherited.

"The Princess is returning," Lizee said simply.

The Princess, Shira Emrys, had been overseas for the last ten years, ever since her powers had developed. She was rumored to have one of the most powerful forms on record, even more powerful than her Mother and Father. That was why she had been sent away, to train with the monarchy of England. But rumor had it that the Princess had gone a bit rogue.

Manny remembered her from when they were younger. Shira was kept apart from then other Therianthrope, but she had been a bit wild even then. He could only imagine what she'd be like now, seventeen years old and of age. Manny, Ellie, and Sid themselves had come of age the year previous.

Manny snapped out of his reverie when Lizee continued, "And that means that we must all be on our best behaviour. As you are very close to the Princess in age, you will make up her court and her closest advisors. Manny, Ellie, you both hold the titles of Ramon and Ramoness of your respective families. Sid, Crash, Eddie, as the oldest sons of your families, you hold the title Ramoni, and I am Ramonessa. Tally, as the youngest, you are a Ramonessette. You will all be addressed as such tonight.

"You will also be meeting the Ramon and Ramoness Kestrel, and their sons, the Ramoni Soto and Diego," as she talked, Lizee pulled into the driveway of the Klein house.

"Does this mean we have to call everyone by their full names and titles?" Ellie asked. It was well known that she hated using her full name. Manny didn't really like using his fully name, either. Why couldn't his parents have named him something normal, like Sheldon, or Tim? Well, maybe not Sheldon. But at least it was better than Rudy.

Lizee smiled at her through the rear-view mirror, "Apologies, Ellie, but yes."

The group piled out of the van, into the bright afternoon sun. Sid nearly tripped over his middle sister, Brynn, as she lay on the grass of the front lawn.

"Brynn, what are you doing!? You're supposed to be getting ready!"

Brynn didn't even raise her head, "When was the last time you stopped to look at the clouds, sister mine? Look, that one looks just like you!"

Manny followed her finger. To him, the cloud she was pointing at looked a bit like a drowning hippopotamus, but he wasn't about to tell Lizee that.

"Come on, Brynn. I'll let you do my hair," Ellie extended her hand towards the grass-covered girl. That got Brynn up, as Ellie never let anyone touch her knee-length caramel waves and Brynn loved hair.

Lizee ushered them into the house and up the stairs. Inside, Sid's Mother, Rendell, was waiting for them. Her hair was piled on top of her head in curlers, and she wore a satin dressing gown. She took the girls and pulled them into her dressing room, and herded Manny and the boys down the hall to her bedroom, where they were met by Sid's Father, Stanton, and Crash and Eddie's Father, Hermes. Manny assumed that Crash and Eddie's Mother, Annette, would be waiting for the girls.

They could hear a flurry of activity going on down the hall, but in the bedroom, everyone was already ready. Finally, after an hour and a half, the girls were ready.

As the owners of the house, Stanton and Rendell descended the stairs first. They looked like movie stars, Stanton in his coal black tuxedo with a midnight blue tie and Rendell in a matching midnight dress that was offset by the ribbons woven artfully into her brown hair. Sid took Lizee's arm and led her down the stairs. Much like Manny himself and Stanton, Sid looked sophisticated in his charcoal grey suit. Lizee wore a full-length, off-the-shoulder dark green dress. Cloth vines wrapped around one of her arms. Next down the stairs were Brynn and Tally, in yellow and pink floor-length dresses, respectively.

Manny stopped looking at the other girls when Ellie came out. Her hair was artfully styled half up and half down, much like a layered curtain. The pendant he had given her for her last birthday rested on her throat, and the one-shouldered dress she wore was breathtaking. The neckline plunged under her right arm, wrapping around her back and looping up to rejoin the shoulder. It was made of a shiny silver material Manny couldn't name, overlaying an underskirt of purple. She looked like a Queen.

Vaguely, Manny was aware of Hermes and Annette linking arms and coming down behind them, but nothing mattered to him anymore, other than the beautiful girl on his arm.

The Klein's butler, Nigel, held the door open for Manny and Ellie as they followed Brynn and Tally to the first of two limousines. Manny nodded his thanks.

Containing excitement was not one of Tally's strong points. By the time the limo had left the neighbourhood, she was practically vibrating. Rendell placed a hand on her daughter's arm, "Tallisa, sweetheart, calm. You will Shift if you get too excited."

"But, Mum, we get to meet the Princess!" Tally had only been four when Princess Shira had left and thus had not met her. Rendell sighed and gave up. There was no reasoning with Tally when she got like this, but she had very good control.

"Hush, Tallisa," Stanton said softly, and Tally sat their trembling silently.

It was not a long car ride, and soon the twin limos were pulling up in front of the Palace. It wasn't really a Palace, but instead a high-end hotel. The King and Queen owned the entire thing, and only humans who knew about the world of Shifters were ever allowed to stay. Mostly the rooms were used by the royal family or visiting diplomats.

Manny led Ellie towards the ballroom, waiting as those in front of him were announced.

Two servants opened the massive ballroom doors for them, and a standard bearer proclaimed, "Ramon Stanton and Ramoness Rendell Klein, Ramoni Sidney Klein, Ramonessa Lizelle and Brynn Klein, Ramonessette Tallisa Klein," the Kleins passed into the ballroom, "Ramon Manfred Dorn and Ramoness Ellinor Sparks. Ramon Hermes and Ramoness Annette Troy. Ramoni Carson and Edward Troy."

The atmosphere of the party was tense. The air itself seemed charged with electricity, Manny noted. A waltz started, and Ellie pulled Manny out onto the dance floor. She loved to dance, and the waltz was her favourite. Manny didn't really care for dancing, but he loved dancing with her.

"When do you think the Princess will show up?" Ellie asked him.

"Well, you know the King and Queen. They like to make an entrance. I'd say they'll be here in an hour, tops. Don't want everyone too drunk to give them a proper welcome."

Ellie giggled, and Manny spun her into a dip. They held that position a moment longer than was entirely polite, until the music abruptly cut off. Ellie used Manny to lever herself upright, "This is it."

But Manny was sceptical, "I don't think it's the King and Queen."

As it turned out, he was right. The great doors opened, but the standard bearer did not announce the King and Queen, "Ramon Kenna Kestrel and Ramoness Aleksandria Kestrel. Ramoni Soto and Diego Kestrel."

Sid, Lizee, Brynn, and Tally made their way towards Manny and Ellie. Manny didn't even need to look up to know that Crash and Eddie had joined them as well.

"So that's Diego," Manny muttered.

"And that's Soto," Sid whispered, "Well, let's go make friends!" And he was off before any of them could pull him back, leaving them no choice but to follow.

Diego Kestrel was rather small, compared to the rest of them. He towered over Crash and Eddie, but everyone was taller than the twins. His hair was tawny—there was really no other word for it, and his eyes were a violent, luminous green. There was something predatory about his gaze, and Manny couldn't believe Sid was leading them towards him and his brother.

It seemed like no one had moved—except for them—since the Kestrels had entered.

"Hiyah!" Sid exclaimed, "Welcome to Court! I'm Sid—"Lizee shot him a look and cleared her throat, "Apologies, I'm Ramoni Sidney Klein, and these are my sisters, Ramonessa Lizelle, Brynn, and Tallisa. Over there are my cousins, Ramoni Carson and Edward Troy. And these are Ramon Manfred Dorn and Ramoness Ellinor Sparks. It is a pleasure to make you acquaintance."

"The pleasure is ours," Soto's voice was deeper than Manny thought it would be, and smooth as silk. He took Ellie's hand and kissed the back of it, "I am Soto, and this is my brother, Diego." It was not lost on any of them that Soto had delivered a subtle insult by not introducing himself by his full name and title.

"You have spent time on the Island," Lizee stepped in before the situation could devolve, "Tell us, Ramoni Soto, Ramoni Diego, what it is like there?"

The Island was the primary location of Court, but it was really only used for large gatherings of their people. The Kestrels had been tasked as the caretakers of the Island, one of the most important roles in Therianthrope society.

Soto smirked, "It is the most wondrous place, Lizelle."

Lizee's smile faded, "I'd thank you to cease insulting me. I am Ramonessa Lizelle."

"Apologies for my brother, Ramonessa Lizelle," Diego spoke for the first time, his green eyes bright, "We have been away from Court for many years. He forgets himself."

"Accepted with pleasure, Ramoni Diego."

Manny cast his gaze towards the balcony overlying the ballroom. There were two people standing there, a boy and a girl. The girl nodded to him, and the boy beckoned.

"It's time," Manny whispered, "Zeke and Rachel are already up there. Join us, if you will, Ramoni Soto, Ramoni Diego."

"We will," Soto said for both him and his brother.

Manny ascended the stairs, with Ellie on his right and Sid on his left.

"It's so annoying that we have to use titles, even when no one else can hear us," Sid muttered.

"It's just how our society works. Now, would you shut up, please? I don't trust the Ramoni as far as I could throw them."

"Not even half the distance?"

Manny shook his head, "Nowhere near."

"You know you could throw them pretty far, Ramon Manfred," Sid seemed to be choking on Manny's name, "What with your—"

"Sid, shut up!" Manny hissed, breaking protocol for once as he was cognisant of Diego behind him. Sid shut up.

"Where are we going?" Diego asked. It seemed he was not superglued to Soto.

"Upstairs," Manny said shortly.

"Yes, I got that much. Considering we are _climbing the stairs._"

"The adults are supposed to meet the King and Queen first," Tally piped up, "Then we come down after a few minutes and meet the Princess. But in the meantime, you can meet Ramoni Zeke and Ramoni Lenny and Ramoni Oscar and Ramonessa Rachel and Ramonessa Jennifer and—"

"Ramonessette Tallisa, please take a breath," Brynn teased her sister, "You will not get to meet Princess Shira if you are unconscious."

"Who's unconscious?" Like Eddie and Crash, Rachel and Jennifer were twins, but they were identical (not that anyone could really tell that Eddie and Crash were fraternal). Jennifer had the twin's natural blonde hair, but Rachel had dyed hers a rather violent shade of purple.

"No one. Ramonessa Rachel and Jennifer Keladry, these are the Ramoni Soto and Diego Kestrel," said Brynn, "Come inside and meet everyone."

Manny personally took Soto and Diego around the room, introducing them to the Ramoni Leonard, Zeke, Oscar, Scrat, Rudolph, Flynn and Buckminster and the Ramonessa Scratte, Sylvia, Razell, Steffany, Katrynna, and Scarlett. Soto seemed to hit it off with the very eccentric Scrat, his girlfriend Scratte, and his younger sister Scarlett. Scrat dragged the group of them off to meet his parents, Simon and Salancya. And perhaps find a dish of nuts. Scrat and Scratte both went nutty for nuts, so much so that Manny was sure Scrat would leave Court if ever offered a place in 'Nut Heaven.'

Manny and his herd of friends integrated into the crowd, chatting easily with the people they had known since birth. Apparently, Oscar and Katrynna had gotten engaged, and were planning on announcing it later that night. Razell had fallen off her horse the day before and now sported a wrist brace that she had decorated with a silver ribbon to match the silver trim on her black dress. Ellie moved off to talk to Steffany and Sylvia while Manny and Sid went to break up the ensuing fight between Rudy and Buck.

After about half an hour of socializing, Sid wandered over to Manny, "Diego looks a little off. Do you think we should go and talk to him?"

Manny looked to where Sid gestured to. Diego did indeed look off. There was a shimmer radiating from his skin, giving it a green glow. His eyes were dark with shadows, and he held onto his glass with a ferocity that was threatening to shatter the crystal. It became clear to Manny then that Diego was more than a little off.

Marching straight up to him, and dragging Sid along, Manny clamped a massive hand down on Diego's muscular shoulder. Muttering an apology to Diego's partner, Zeke, he steered Diego out of the room, down the hall, and into one of the two rooms on that floor of the Palace.

As soon as they were inside, Sid bolted the door and Diego shook away from Manny's hold.

"What are you doing?" Diego snapped.

"You were losing it," Manny sat down heavily in an armchair and loosened his tie, "I could see it in your eyes. This is the first time you've been to a party, isn't it?"

Diego nodded slightly, "So you pulled me out, why? Out of the goodness of your heart? I know you don't trust me."

"I pulled you out because the King and Queen are on their way. Of course I don't trust you, I've only known you for forty-five minutes! Anyways, if you need to Shift, go ahead. If you're already this worked up after half an hour of talking, I don't even want to know what you'll do when the Princess arrives."

"I can handle it!" Diego huffed indignantly. A growl built up, deep in his chest. _Carnivore,_ Manny decided.

"No, you can't, or Sid and I wouldn't have had to have pulled you out of that small of a gathering. You were green, Diego."

"I don't remember giving you permission to drop my title," Diego hissed.

"Your title is Ramoni. I am the Ramon of the Dorn family," It seemed to Manny that Diego's canines were lengthening. He was losing control in his indignation, and all three of them knew it, "Sid, go back to the party. Reassure everyone that Diego and I are fine, and we will be along shortly. Tell them that I took Diego to find Soto, and we got talking to someone." If he didn't tell Sid exactly what he needed to tell everyone else, Sid would let something incriminating slip, and then everyone would be all over him and Diego. By now, Diego was shaking where he stood, desperately trying to hold back the change.

Sid slipped out the door, and Diego dropped to his knees, his head in his hands. He looked up at Manny, peeking under long lashes with feverish eyes, "If I am to Shift, then you will too. You will not be able to hold it back."

"You will know my animal, and I will know yours. We will be even." Even as he spoke, Manny felt the hormone surge of a controlled change. Diego, however, was in for a rough ride, for even a controlled change was painful.

Diego pulled his tie over his head, panting heavily for breath. Manny calmly removed his own tie and suit jacket, piling them neatly on the bed. The Shift was coming quickly for Diego, almost as quick as it did for Manny. That meant that whatever his form was, it was strong.

When Diego once again threw a look at Manny, it was with the silted pupils of a cat. Manny gazed back at him, his eyes the warm brown of his mammoth form. Diego collapsed completely to the carpeted ground, crying out as his bones and organs shifted. Manny rode the waves of pain as he had many times before. It was nothing new to him, but he knew how painful an uncontrolled Shift was.

Diego's back arched as golden fur began to sprout all over his body. His nails lengthened into claws that tore trenches in the carpet of the room. Manny could hear the cracking of his bones as they reformed, and then Manny hit the ground himself as he pushed further into his own Shift.

In total, the two teenagers only took about two minutes to Shift, but to them it felt like much longer.

Manny struggled to his feet, immediately adjusting to the four legs the diameter of tree trunks, and the long, flexible trunk hanging down from his face in the place of his nose. He focused on the pile of golden limbs in front of him.

Diego groaned and rolled from his side. He stretched every limb to its maximum, as any cat would do.

He didn't make it past Manny's knees, but what he lacked in height he made up for in muscle and teeth. Diego was a sabre-toothed cat, complete with razor-sharp claws and nine-inch canines. His forelimbs were huge, rippling with sinewy muscle, and his hind limbs had the muscles of a jumper. Both he and Manny knew that he was no match for the mammoth in the room, but that did not stop Diego from glaring up at Manny defiantly.

"So, a sabre, huh?" Manny asked.

"So, a mammoth, huh?" Diego echoed.

"Your brother, is he—"

"Another extinct animal? No. He's a black panther," Diego paused, "Don't tell him I said that. What about your friends?"

"Only Ellie, Sid, Crash, and Eddie."

Someone pounded on the door, "Manny! The King and Queen are here! You have two minutes!" It was Lizee, and she did not sound impressed. That was understandable, as it had been a very long time since anyone had needed to be pulled out of a party because of an anxiety-induced Shift.

"Change back?"

"Change back."

As Manny and Diego exited the room almost two minutes later, back in their human forms and dressed to receive the monarchs, Diego whispered, "Thank you, Ramon Manfred. You were right."

Manny slowed and raised an eyebrow, "It's hard for you to admit when you are wrong, is it not?"

"It's hard for you to stop being paranoid about others, is it not?"

"That is true. But I believe we have come to an understanding." And they had. To know someone else's animal was to have power over them, if one chose to use it. Manny and Diego were trusting each other not to use that power.

"We have," Diego said.

"In that case, please, when we are not at a party, drop my title. Call me Manny."

Diego took the hand that Manny offered and shook it, "Call me Diego."


	3. More Questions than Answers

Chapter 2—More Questions than Answers

Ellie was about to re-enter the ballroom unescorted when Manny and Diego made it back. She slapped Manny lightly on the arm, but took the offered limb anyway. From in front of them, Lizee shot him a glare over Sid's head.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs were the King and Queen. Queen Callissa was resplendent in gold, while her King, Sirone, radiated power, even though he was dressed no better than Manny himself. Manny and Ellie presented themselves to the monarchs, bowed, and went to stand by Sid and Lizee.

Diego and Soto were last down the stairs, stopping opposite Rudy and Buck. Only when the entire Court was present did the King speak.

"Loyal subjects," he began, "Today we welcome our daughter, your Princess, back to Court after a decade-long absence. Please allow me to introduce Shiramantha Netha Emrys, Princess of Therianthrope."

Shiramantha. Manny winced in sympathy. That was worse than Manfred and Ellinor put together.

The ballroom doors stubbornly remained closed. A few seconds passed and it became obvious that the Princess had not heeded her Father's words. King Sirone bent towards the Retainer on his right. Only because Manny was so close was he able to hear what the King said, "Arthur, go find my daughter."

Before Arthur could move, the ballroom doors burst open and a blur in green barrelled through them, "No need to send Arthur anywhere, Father, I am present and accounted for."

"You are late, Shiramantha," this time, it was the Queen who spoke.

"Sorry, I got caught up with—"

"A Princess does not use slang!"

"Yes, Mother," Shiramantha lowered her head.

"For goodness's sakes, stand up straight, child! You would think we sent you to the Wolves!" The Wolves were the main enemies of the Crown, led by the ruthless and bloodthirsty Gunther 'Gutt' Rayas. Gutt had once been very close to the King and Queen, until he had been banished for a reason they had not disclosed. Now he, and his heir, were a constant thorn in the side of the monarchy.

Sirone took over from his wife, "Shiramantha, Ramon Dorn will take charge of you and introduce you to your new Court. It is past time you met those who have been groomed as your advisors."

"Sure thing, Dad," Manny couldn't believe her blatant disrespect for her Father, for her King, "Which one's Ramon Dorn?"

"You were to have studied such information in your time away, Shiramantha," Queen Callissa glared at her daughter.

"On top of everything else? When was I supposed to find time for that, Mother?" Shiramantha matched her Mother's glare.

"Ramon Dorn," the King snapped, and Manny stepped away from Ellie and towards his King, "Take charge of your Princess. I do not wish to hear of any unpleasantness. Nor, do I think, will you."

Manny felt his mouth go dry. Of all of them, he was being chosen to safeguard the Princess, probably because he was the youngest full Ramon. And on top of all that, the King had basically told him that anything the rebellious Princess did would be on his own head. Manny was instantly glad that Diego had needed to be pulled out of the party and had induced Manny's own Shift, otherwise he might have lost control of himself right then and there, "My King, see your worries recede. No harm will come to the Princess while she is under my care."

"I shall hold you to that, Manfred," the King turned to Sid's parents, "Ramon Stanton, Ramoness Rendell, see to it that your children and those of age with them be moved to the Palace at once, to begin their service to my daughter," Stanton opened his mouth to protest, but the King cut him off, "It was not a request, Stanton." _It was an order_, "Take the children home, and I expect them by noon tomorrow." It was obvious who he meant by 'them.' Only the most powerful families would bring their children, and only the children between fourteen and eighteen. That meant Manny, Ellie, Sid, Brynn and Tally, and Crash and Eddie, representing the four families closest to the monarchs.

The Queen spoke then, "Ramon Kenna Kestrel, we expect your youngest son as well."

Make that the _five_ families closest to the monarchs.

_Well, _Manny thought, _things will certainly be getting more interesting around here._ Manny tried not to think that had he still been alive, Finnley would be coming with them as well.

Moving to the Palace. Though it was not far from the Klein's house, nor House Dorn, where Manny had lived until he was fourteen, it all of a sudden seemed a world away. He would not be able to go to Stanton—a man he now thought of as a second Father—with his problems any longer. Annette and Rendell would no longer fill the role of sister-mothers for Ellie to the same extent as she had always needed. Sid would be cut off from his parents and his oldest sister, who he had never been separated from in his life. Crash and Eddie were the type where everything just rolled off of them, so Manny thought they would probably adjust the fastest. Manny shot a look over at Diego. His Shift not ten minutes prior had shown that while he was overly sarcastic, he was not at all comfortable in the Palace, surrounded by all these people that he didn't know.

"Children, you and your families are excused from the rest of the party to pack. Remember, noon tomorrow." The King took the Queen's hand and the music started back up.

Shiramantha grabbed Manny and pulled him back in the direction she had come, through the ballroom doors and back into the lobby. The Herd, and Diego, followed them.

"I don't know why, Manfred," The Princess said as soon as the doors closed behind them, "But my Father wishes you to become my bodyguard, or take up a position of the like. I don't need a bodyguard; I can take care of myself," she paused, "But I will need a friend. In fact, I will need multiple friends, if I am going to survive living under the same roof as those two."

"Princess Shiramantha—"

The Princess cut Manny off, "One, don't call me Shiramantha. It's Shira, unless you absolutely have to use my full name. Two, no, I have no respect for my parents whatsoever, not after what they did to me ten years ago. Three, any orders they give you, run them through me before you carry them out. Fourth, I'll—well, hello, who do we have here?" Shira had caught sight of Diego, leaning against a shadowy marble column, "I think I'd remember if you were amongst the pictures I had to study. You must be the Ramoni Diego Kestrel."

Diego advanced towards Shira, coming out of the shadows, "I must say, when I was told I would be meeting the Princess tonight, I did not think I would be meeting," he paused, and his eyes swept the entire length of her body in a way that was not at all appropriate, "someone like you."

"You thought I would be my Mother in miniature, did you not? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint. My eyes are up here, Tiger." She used a long, pianist's finger under his chin to raise his gaze to hers.

Manny cleared his throat, "Princess, Ramoni Diego, we have a deadline to meet." The Kleins had exited the ballroom, catching Diego and Shira too close together for propriety. Still, the two did not move, Diego out of pure stubborn pride, and Shira because it would not do for the Princess to back down first.

In fact, Shira was still standing in the same spot minutes after Diego backed off, Manny noted as they prepared to leave. Manny approached her, "Princess, if you would return to the ballroom. If something were to happen to you out here, their Majesties would have my head."

Shira groaned, "Just so my Father doesn't have any of you killed." She shook out her short silver hair, straightened her sea-green dress, and pushed through the doors back into the ballroom.

Sid came up on Manny's right, and Ellie on his left, "So that's our Princess," Ellie commented, "She's…free-spirited."

"I think the word you're looking for is a bit stronger than free-spirited, Ellie." Manny glared at the doors to the ballroom.

"Manny, come on. We don't really have any context. Suppose she has very good reasons for acting as she does."

"She's the Princess. She's supposed to be proper. She's supposed to be—"

"Not as she is?" Ellie put a hand on Manny's arm, "Manny, she is a seventeen-year-old girl. When she is Queen, she will be bogged down by rules and propriety and what's best for our people. Let her live a little while she's still young enough to enjoy it."

"I don't know about you, Ellie, but I didn't see her enjoying anything."

The group was silent on the way home. Ellie, Crash, and Eddie had taken the second limo with their parents back to their own house, leaving the first to Manny and the Kleins. Both groups had left Diego to his parents and brother.

Shira's words spun around Manny's head. _A friend. In fact, multiple friends._ Could he, and the Herd, ever be friends to the Princess?

Yes, they would have to be. Regardless of anything else, and if only because they had no other choice. Whether Manny liked it or not, the Herd had just expanded to include Shira, and even Diego. Perhaps Ellie was right, and Shira did have a good reason for behaving as she did. But no matter how hard Manny racked his brains, he could not come up with a good enough reason to disrespect your sovereign, especially if your sovereign was your parents as well.

Manny didn't sleep that night. He packed up his clothes and the few keepsakes he had brought with him from House Dorn, but left most of what was in the room alone. It had all been there before he had come along.

Sometime around midnight, he heard Tally leave her room and stumble into her parent's, halfway through a stress-induced Shift. Sid escorted her, and then came and knocked on Manny's door. He found Manny inside, flat on his back and still in his evening clothes, looking as if he was going to be sick.

"Mum and Dad have their hands full with Tally right now," Sid said, "So please don't change as well. We'll only be a few blocks away."

Manny sat up slowly, forcing his stomach not to revolt at the movement, "I can't get what Shira said out of my head. She doesn't need a bodyguard, she needs a friend? Why does she need a friend? She has everything she'll ever need, or want, and more!"

"Does she, though?" Sid sat beside him, "Do you really think that the girl we met tonight is exactly where she wants to be, with exactly who she wants to be with? You heard the way she talked about her parents."

"What about how she reacted to Diego?"

"What about it?"

"You're telling me that a girl like that can't figure out a way to get what she needs, without using anyone else in the process?"

"I think that last Shift left you a little bit addled, Manny. Isn't that kind of the definition of a monarchy?"

"Everything about her is just so confusing! She's like a walking, talking contradiction!"

"Imagine how Diego must feel," Sid said thoughtfully, "I'm more worried about him, personally. He looked like he was going to eat Shira. I don't think I like him all that much."

"You take everything so literally, Sid. He was being overly sarcastic most of the night, just to hide his nerves."

"Yes," Sid acknowledged, "But it was different with Shira. I mean, she's good-looking, there's no denying that. But she's the Princess, and the daughter of a King that borders on tyrannical and a complacent queen who wishes her daughter to be perfect. I wouldn't want to get mixed up in that mess."

"Are you saying that Diego is in love with Shira? And the Queen is anything but complacent."

"I wouldn't go that far, this soon, Manny. But Diego showed interest, and when she responds, which she will, there will be hell to pay."

Manny knew, deep down, that Sid was right, because Shira had already responded to Diego. Shira, as the Princess, would be expected to marry the son of a very high-ranking family. The Kestrels may have been entrusted with the Island, and they were close to the Monarchs, but their bloodlines were second-tier at best. Still prestigious, just not prestigious or pure enough for the Princess. If Shira got involved, there'd be scandal, perhaps even culminating in Diego's banishment.

Manny's door crept open and Lizee stuck her head in, "You two know why you're moving to the Palace tomorrow, right?"

Manny nodded; he had figured it out in his little talk with Sid, "The King is trying to pair one of us up with Shira."

Sid looked from his sister to his best friend, "Then why bring the girls? And why in the world would he bring in Diego, as well?"

"I don't know," Lizee sighed, "But from what I saw, Manny, he has his eyes set on you. I don't think he knows, or cares, that you're with Ellie. I think you two should elope."

Manny choked a little on his own saliva, "You think we should elope?"

Lizee nodded her head once, "Before he has a chance to play matchmaker. Ellie is too important, being the last of the Sparks, but so are you, Manny, as the last of the Dorns. He won't let a chance like this get away," Lizee ran a hand through her hair, "If we'd had a Prince, I'd be going as well. But Sirone only has so many trusted families left, and to let the of-age Dorn Ramon go to a Sparks without a fight will be something he will not tolerate."

"Lizee, he is still our King! He deserves our respect."

"And to his face, I will give it to him. But I will not let him control what I say behind closed doors. We may be a monarchy, but we're not a dictatorship. The King must be accountable to his people. Otherwise there may be no more monarchy."

"I'd keep it down if I were you, Liz," Brynn was at the door.

"What, is it 'all hang out in Manny's room day?'"

Lizee sat down on Manny's pillow, "All I'm saying is get her a ring, and get her to the alter if you want to spend your life with her. Otherwise, the King may force you to marry the Princess."

"We're seventeen, Lizee. I can't ask that of Ellie."

"You're of age, Manny. Your parents had you by the time they were eighteen."

"Ellie and the twins have only known what they are for two years, and now you want me to ask her to jump into marriage? She doesn't even know what Therianthrope marriage means to us!"

"Then tell her! Explain to her everything, and explain how much you have to lose."

"Lizee, you're supposed to be the oldest of us all. How do you think, on any level, this is the right thing to do?" Manny cried, "Yes, I love Ellie. But neither of us are ready for that kind of a jump."

"You mean you aren't ready for that kind of jump," Brynn accused, "You're still not over Alexis."

"Of course I am!" Manny glared at Brynn, "What I'm not over is my stupidity. She died, Brynn, and she died carrying and because she was carrying my child. Just imagine us, two fourteen-year-olds as parents. How could I have been so stupid?"

"We mature faster than humans, you know that, Manny."

"Yes, but that doesn't give me the right to burden such a young, human girl with something like that."

"You were angry, and hormonal. You know better now. You and Ellie won't make the same kind of mistake."

"I don't think you realize exactly what happened three years ago, Brynn. A fourteen-year-old human girl is buried in the ground, as is the baby that she carried, all because I got her pregnant," Manny sighed, "I knew when I slept with her that she would never survive being pregnant with a Therianthrope. But I had to go and think, 'what really could happen?' And because of that, my firstborn will never actually be my firstborn, and two innocent children are dead."

"When you put it that way, it's a wonder the King even entrusted his daughter to you in the first place. It's a wonder he even wants her to marry a Dorn. You're as wild as she is."

"Thank you oh so very much."

Sid held up his hand, "As much as I'd like to rehash all this stuff again, Alexis and the fetus are not the priority here. Diego and Shira, and the King, are."

"I love how we're totally disregarding the one who is probably the true mastermind here." Brynn remarked, changing the subject abruptly, "Did you not see how Shira reacted to her mother? The King may be in control of the nation, but Queen Callissa is in control of her family."

"Everything we are saying right now is speculation, and we all know that," Manny whispered, "We need information, more information. We need to talk to Shira again."

"What we need first," Lizee commented, "Is sleep. We have less than ten hours now until you guys need to be at the Palace. You need to be on your toes. Sid, it's been a while since you last Shifted. You and Brynn should Shift tonight, so you will be more in control tomorrow. Manny, I won't ask you to tell us what animal Diego is, but answer me one question. Is he like you?"

Manny knew exactly what she meant. He himself changed into an extinct animal, as did Sid and Ellie. Maybe even Crash and Eddie, but no one had even compared their possum species to modern possums. Diego was the only other one Manny had heard of Shifting into an extinct animal, "Yes, he is like me."

Lizee sighed, "Things just got a little bit more complicated. Do you know about Soto?"

"Soto's not like us," Manny shook his head.

"Good," Brynn ran a hand through her thick, gold-on-chestnut hair, "One less person to worry about."

"I wouldn't say that, Brynn; Soto seemed to have a great deal of influence over Diego. Diego is not an alpha personality, not at all."

"No, but he is strong," Brynn commented, "He stared down Shira for longer than any of us could have. He may be nervous in groups, but I think he'd be fine with others that he knows well," A light flashed behind her eyes, "Has anyone else other than me realized how disjointed this conversation is?"

"It's because we only talked to Diego for a little while, and Shira for even less time," Manny ran a hand through his messy hair, "We haven't established anything yet. I'm all too happy to speculate more, but it's not going to get us anywhere. We need to Shift, and then get some sleep."

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Despite his words the night before, Manny barely slept. When he did, he saw Princess Shira wrapped in green silk, calling out for a friend. Then Shira became Lizee, Brynn, Tally, Alexis, and finally Ellie. Ellie danced in ribbons of blood, crimson against her bronze skin. The ribbons weaved their way into her long hair, wrapping around her until she was entangled. Manny heard Alexis crying out as her womb was ripped apart from the inside out as the baby she carried Shifted. The ribbons of blood came from her, and they were also of his son.

Diego's other form pounced through his dream, running with his mammoth form and Sid's sloth form. Ellie's mammoth form curled her trunk protectively around another mammoth, one who looked like her in miniature. Manny saw Gutt, and beside him was his heir, unrecognizable with his missing eye and shaggy black hair.

Manny woke covered in damp sweat, with his head pillowed on his open duffle bag. Someone was pounding on his door.

"Manny Dorn, get a move on!" It was Rendell, "You've got less than an hour before we need to leave, young man!"

Manny sat up slowly, replaying the previous night's conversation in his head. The King, threatening his life for the sake of his daughter. Shira, the Princess of his race, needing a friend and not a bodyguard. Lizee, advising him to ask Ellie to elope with him. Shira's treatment of her parents, the King and Queen. Dragging Alexis back up, and the son who had never been born. Then all of the Shifting talk, and the speculation. And on top of all that, his disturbing dream.

They needed more information. They needed answers from Shira, from Diego, and from Sirone.

He was almost excited to go to the Palace, if only to be able to ask.


End file.
